Galveston County Municipal Utility District No. 73 holds a public hearing on its proposed 2026 tax rate Tuesday, Sept. 8. The district covers 786.55 acres in League City and serves the Samara community.

The hearing begins at 10 a.m. at the Johnnie Arolfo Civic Center, 400 West Walker, according to a notice posted on the district's website. Residents can also attend by videoconference.

The district has not publicly posted the specific proposed 2026 rate. Its current total tax rate, set for the 2025 tax year, is $1.10 per $100 of assessed valuation. That breaks down to $0.30 for maintenance and operations and $0.80 for debt service, which covers water, sewer, drainage and road bonds.

How the rate has changed

The district's tax structure has shifted year over year. In 2023, the total rate was $1.00 per $100, all for maintenance and operations with no debt service. By 2024, the total held at $1.00, but the split moved to $0.65 for maintenance and operations and $0.35 for debt service. In 2025, the debt service portion grew to $0.80 per $100 while the maintenance and operations share dropped to $0.30.

At the 2025 hearing, the district projected a 56.77% increase in taxes on the average homestead, or about $1,258 more per year. That jump was driven largely by average appraised home values rising from roughly $221,600 to $319,400.

What residents should know

GCMUD 73 is a separate taxing entity from the City of League City and the Clear Creek Independent School District, according to the district's website. Property owners in the district pay the MUD rate on top of those other tax bills. The Texas Commission on Environmental Quality created the district in July 2019.

Linda Dixon serves as board president. The district's tax assessor and collector is David Patterson of Assessments of the Southwest, Inc.

Under Texas law, if the district adopts a combined rate that raises taxes on the average homestead by more than 8%, qualified voters can petition for an election to roll back the maintenance and operations rate.

The district's notice states that individual tax bills may go up or down depending on the rate adopted and how a property's value changed relative to all other properties in the district.

Residents who cannot attend in person can join the videoconference or contact the district at (281) 500-6050 or [email protected]. Property tax information is available at Texas.gov/PropertyTaxes.